We Love to Watch

Unless you've been hiding under a rock the past week you can't help but have heard or seen Charlie Sheen and his ongoing, unnerving public meltdown. It's a curious phenomenon, why we are so engrossed in it. Sheen set a record on Twitter, opening an account on Tuesday and garnering over one million followers in 24 hours. One commentator I read this week, playing off one of Sheen's notorious recent quotes, observed that "we're all on a drug, it's called Charlie Sheen."

Why is it we are so engrossed in this? Don't forget, Sheen isn't the first to stagger towards a precipice and tumble into trouble (e.g. Tiger Woods, Michael Vick, Lindsey Lohan, etc...); Sheen is only the latest and, honestly, the most spectacular (so far) at doing so. Admit it, we love to watch them fall: sports figures, actors, religious leaders, politicians. It doesn't matter - the bigger the name and the better the image, the better the fall as far as we are concerned. 

Is it because it makes us feel better about our own lives to watch a celebrity worth millions (Sheen makes $2Mil per episode of his show), with every advantage and luxury known to man (trainers, tanners, chefs, and nannies), stumble and fall? Are we envious for heaven's sake?  Or is it that age-old instinct where we just "have to look" even though we know what we're about to see is horrific? My guess is even way back when a chariot was a modern conveyance and people happened upon an accident scene they had trouble averting their eyes from the carnage. Are we simply rubber-necking? Is it because people can do such horrible things to themselves and somehow, for some reason we love to watch?

I have to admit it, I find Sheen as funny as the next guy - probably because he has the guts to say out loud things that many of us think to ourselves anyway (the man has no 'inner dialogue'). In that sense, I suppose I'm partially responsible for his behavior. Because we do love to watch, we're egging him on and therefore at least partly responsible for his craziness. Don't get me wrong, Sheen himself is ultimately responsible for his actions, but the show he gets paid so much to star in is built around the character he is currently playing out - for real - in the media. Since the ratings and advertising dollars generated by the show come from "us," then "we" are technically paying him to act this way, we are at least partially responsible.

Our complicity in Sheen's behavior is a scary because Sheen is clearly a man in crisis. His problems appear to be even deeper than "just" addiction to alcohol, sex and drugs. I'm sure he'd say "keep your prayers to yourself," but I, for one am praying he comes out of this tailspin before he crashes into the ground - for himself and for us who love to watch, but honestly, really don't want to see.